


Cárcel

by Giroshane



Category: Book of Life (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prison, Dialogue-Only, Drabble, Gen, Mentions of Murder, Multi, Vaguely implied Tres Leches, likely non-accurate depiction of Prison systems
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 06:44:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4050166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Giroshane/pseuds/Giroshane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a new guard at San Ángel County Jail, and he's about to get the low down on the most notorious inmates there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cárcel

“Hey rookie. How’s your first day going?”

“Um, pretty okay I guess. It’s not my first time in a prison, just…”

“Never been anyplace like this.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, life here is pretty standard prison-life. There’s just a handful of folks at the top of the food chain you gotta look out for. There’s a reason we’re as fortified as we are, and _they_ are _it_.”

“Really? Who ya got that’s so bad?”

“Unfortunately due to their natures we’ve got a bit of a faction system set up, but I’ll start with the side that we don’t mind dealing with as much. Led by three kids.”

“Kids?”

“The youngest prisoners we got in here. Missed juvie by only a few years.”

“Damn.”

“Damn straight. First up is Joaquin Mondragon.”

“Wait, are you kidding me? You’re not telling me you actually caught _the_ Joaquin Mondragon?”

“The Captain? Hell no. No one’s seen that bastard in over a decade. This is his son.”

“Still, that’s the son of the leader of one of the biggest Mafia syndicates we've got here.”

“And believe me, we don’t take that for granted. We’ve kept a close eye on him, but honestly? The only reason he’s in here is because he got too big for his breeches and his family decided to let him take the fall for it. His sentence ain’t even that long.”

“Talk about corporal punishment.”

“You’d think. He may be in here but he’s still controlling the ol’ family business just as smoothly.”

“No shit?”

“Half of the Mondragon-linked crimes in the past year have been traced _almost_ to him. Enough to know it’s him, but not enough to pin him for it. We know he’s got connections in here, but we still haven’t managed to figure out who. It’s a damn headache. Hey, that’s him over there in the yard.”

“ _Jesus_! He’s built like a brick shithouse!”

“Yep. Can bench almost 300 pounds. He looks like a mean one, but he’s actually the one with the best behavior. You’d think he was the nicest kid on the block if you met him. He’s quite the charmer.”

“Really?”

“The most polite inmate I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. He’s friends with most of the guards here.”

“He ‘friends’ with you?”

“Not totally. We get along, first name basis. Nothing special. Some of the others, though? If he wasn’t in jail they’d be inviting him to Christmas dinner. Not like they’re real friendships though. Usually he just uses us to get stuff.”

“Stuff like what?”

“Gum, mostly, so it’s not like it’s a huge bother. Used to be cigs, but the man’s been cold turkey for 8 months now. Probably because of his two besties in here.”

“Right, the other two leaders. Besties?”

“Practically joined at the hip. Which brings me to my last point on Joaquin. He may be the most charismatic man you’ll ever meet, but don’t ever get him angry. Then he’ll be your worst nightmare.”

“What, we got a real live Hulk on our hands?”

“Not necessarily. There’s only two ways to get him _royally_ pissed: one, you insult his father, and two, you try to hurt his friends. _Especially the latter_. You try to get those two, if _they_ don’t get you back first themselves, _he’ll_ be on your bones before you can even say his name. We’re lucky he hasn’t killed anyone yet, and believe me, he’s come close a few times. It’s a terrifyin’ sight.”

“He must really care about them.”

“You sound skeptical, but the truth is he really does. Never seen anything like it.”

“Must be special.”

“I suppose. See the one he’s headin’ over to?”

“Yeah. Curly hair, guitar? Isn’t that contraband?”

“Yep, that’s the next one on the list. Manolo Sanchez.”

“The name sounds familiar.”

“I’d be concerned if it didn’t. Almost everyone knows the name. Maybe I can jog your memory: bulls.”

“Shit, you’re right! The Sanchez clan! One of the most famous bullfighting families in the sports’ history! You telling me this kid is one of them?”

“Yep.”

“Actually, now that I think about it, I think I _do_ know the story already.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. Manolo was lining up to be the greatest bullfighter in his family. Kid had real talent. But then he got kicked out of the family.”

“Couldn’t kill the bull.”

“Couldn’t kill the bull. Last I heard though he dropped off the face of the earth. How’d he end up here?”

“Like most kids turned black sheep. Stuck on the streets, playing on street corners just to earn your next meal. Turned to petty theft.”

“But he’s in here. Let me guess, petty theft soon became…”

“Not so petty. Lil’ Sanchez down there’s got some quick fingers. Successfully robbed five different high-end banks in the tri-county area.”

“But you caught him though.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t feel like a success. Still can’t find the money he stole. Hell, the only reason we caught him is because his last hit wasn’t a bank.”

“No?”

“Nope. Jewelry store. Trying to steal something for his sweetheart.”

“Hmph. How romantic.”

“You’d be surprised. Kid’s a lover, not a fighter. Snark streak’s a mile wide, but he’s second to Joaquin in terms of good behavior. You can tell he only really does what he does to survive.”

“Doesn’t justify it.”

“Hell no. But he’s a nice kid, so we let him keep the guitar. Wouldn’t matter if we tried to take it anyway. He’d just have another one in a day or two. Probably through Joaquin’s connections, damn ‘em to hell. We let it slide. It’s actually got a few benefits. Ever heard of Carmen Rivera?”

“Have I--of course I have! Everyone knows her. One of the best singer-slash-dancers in the entire country. Cryin’ shame when she passed away.”

“Mmhm.”

“Wait, are you telling me _that’s_ her son? Are you shitting me?”

“Nope. Manolo Sanchez, the son of the great Carlos Sanchez and his wife, Carmen Rivera. He takes after his mother too. Voice of an angel, swear to god, and a genius with a guitar. He plays for the other inmates all the time, which helps us: he keeps them calm, he lifts their spirits. Mitigates trouble. Well, trouble that he doesn’t cause himself.”

“I thought you said he had the best behavior after Joaquin?”

“He does. His only downfall is his penchant for escape routines.”

“Escape routines?”

“By now, he pretty much knows this place inside and out. He’s escaped almost 12 times as of...last week.”

“Jeez! You keep catching him, though?”

“Barely, the slippery bastard. Sometimes it seems like he does it on purpose. I swear the kid would be on parole already if he didn’t keep doing it. It’s like he wants to stay here.”

“Why would he want to stay here?”

“Good question, rookie. You bring me right to the final of the trio. She’s the youngest, but by god is she the worst.”

“ _She_?”

“One of the only two women we keep here in the facility, and they’re kept here because anywhere else they leave corpses.”

“Why not just keep them in solitary confinement?”

“Because corpses _still_ manage to pile up. The superstitious call it witchcraft.”

“My bet is they have connections like Joaquin.”

“Well, if they do, then like Joaquin’s, we can’t find them. Here, if you leave ‘em alone, they’re fine. She should be heading out any second.”

“You let her out with the men?”

“Like I said: you leave her alone, you’ll be fine. When I say fine, I mean you won’t be a mutilated version of what you once were. Or a corpse. Took a few men to learn that lesson. Now she fits in, has as much respect as anyone else down there.  There she is now.”

“Lord almighty.”

“That’s the general reaction.”

“She’s far too pretty to be in here. Hell, she’s far too _small_.”

“And that’s precisely what she’ll let you believe, right up until you have a knife in your throat. Maria Posada.”

“She’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen. She can’t be a killer.”

“Got the longest sentence of the three. She’s never leaving this place.”

“Life sentence?”

“Four.”

“ _Four_?”

“Four. Not including the other sentences of 15-25 years. She’s got several of those too.”

“Who the _hell_ did she kill?”

“Hmph. Easier to tell you the whole story, believe it or not. Her father was an upstanding general. She was a troublemaking daughter, and he had enough. Sent her overseas for ten years to straighten her out when she was only eight. Ten years spent away from everyone you love and care about, when you’re that young? That does things to you. So she comes back, and she seems right as rain. Then she starts seeing men the General don’t approve of. He threatens to send her away again. She doesn’t take it too well. Not too well at all.”

“So she _killed_ him?”

“She only _seemed_ right as rain. So that’s her first sentence: 25 to life. She’s held here for a few days before being transferred. Those few days, she’s fine, behaved well enough. We kept her separate from the men, obviously, although she thought it was unnecessary. Then she’s transferred to a Women’s Penitentiary three counties over. Not one day goes by and she’s getting into fights. Two days and there’s a body. Sentenced another 25, kept in solitary. Bodies keep droppin’, and she has all the evidence and admits to it. Finally, a guard drops. She’s transferred, with another life sentence. Same thing happens at the next facility. And the next. Finally they’re about to send her to an institution, and they keep her here for a week as a midpoint in the transfer. Immediately everything stops. Acts like a goddamn angel. She promised good behavior as long as she was kept _here_.”

“And they agreed?”

“By that point they were more n’ a little scared. And rightly so. No matter how solitary she was kept, or how far under lock and key and guard she was held, somebody wound up pushin’ daisies. They weighed her body count against her word and decided to avoid any further additions to the count. And she’s kept her word. She’s never started any fights. Anything that’s happened at her hands has been in defense, either of herself or her boys.”

“She's the smallest thing here.”

“She has extensive knowledge and training in martial arts, and she knows her way around a knife far better than any man I’ve seen. Believe me. She can hold her own. She’s the most violent out of the three of them, and only 19 now.”

“God, they’re talking to her like she _isn’t_ insane.”

“If you ask me, they’re not much saner than she is. It’s because to them, she ain’t. In those other penitentiaries, those women she killed? Those were specific targets.  Every woman that went down was a killer too. Child-killers first, then your run-of-the-mill murderesses next. The guard she dropped? Six months after the fact it was discovered she had been molesting the prisoners, and tried to molest Maria.”

“What, so it’s a twisted sense of vigilantism?”

“Pretty much. To her, it’s justified. The boys think it’s justified too.”

“But we have murderers here. Why hasn’t she killed them?”

“A promise is a promise. Good behavior for imprisonment in this specific facility. That misplaced vigilantism stays in check.”

“Did...did she just wave at me?”

“Yes. She realizes you’re a new face. Wave back.”

“Why did I just do that?”

“Establishes respect. Start off on the right foot and you’ll find she’s actually fairly kind.”

“When she’s not murdering or otherwise assaulting you.”

“Exactly. She’s a pretty passionate activist too. Started the recycling program here. She’s helped teach a few of the other inmates how to read. She’s an angel…”

“Until…”

“Well, I already said. If you disrespect her, treat her like she’s inferior, or try to touch Manolo or Joaquin, or anyone else she’s taken under wing, you’re a very dead man. Or, at the very least, you’re a very disfigured man. She’s got the shortest temper of the lot; no tolerance for anything.”

“Wait...the way they’re...Manolo’s ‘sweetheart’ doesn’t happen to be…?”

“None other than. Why’d’ya think she took so many suckers out just to get here?”

“Jesus. He’s fallen for the wrong girl.”

“They both have, although they don’t think so.”

“Both?”

“Let me put it this way: if she asked them to kill for her, they’d do it. Maybe a few hesitations on Manolo’s part, but they’d do it. If she asked them to kill themselves for her, they’d do it without a second thought. I’m fairly positive she’d do the same for them. That’s a little stronger than just ‘friendship’, don’t ya think?”

“Bunch a crazies, is what I think. You said Maria was one of two women here. Who’s the other?”

“Well, that’s the other faction we got here. Ultra-aggressive, worst behavior cases. The other woman’s name is Chela.”

“Like the beer?”

“Yep. She didn’t stop here first, but her intention has always been to stay here. Where Maria is subtle, this one’s not. First thing she did when she reached her prison was take out two guards and hold a third hostage. If they moved her here, nothing more would happen. Good behavior, hold her own with the men.”

“They complied?”

“They didn’t want another Maria.”

“But you said she was a part of the aggressive faction.”

“She is. Second in command. The shit they cause is never caused directly by her, so we can’t pin her for it.”

“If she’s second in command, who’s first?”

“Only her dad. Chakal.”

“ _Fuck_!”

“I take it you didn’t know he was here.”

“ _The_ Chakal?”

“He’s kept in solitary confinement permanently, but he petitioned and succeeded in earning visitation with his daughter. He was running this place long before she showed up though. She just made it easier.”

“ _God._ The devil and his spawn are here.”

“Be glad they’re here and not out in the real world. You remember what that bastard was capable of.”

“Gives me the shivers just thinking about it.”

“It does to all of us.”

“...So you’ve got your super-aggressive group. Breaking the rules, starting fights, the nasty side. Then, on the other, you’ve got the good-behaviors. Do they mix well?”

“Well enough. Sometimes some dickhead will go after one of the more vulnerable good ‘uns we’ve got, but they’re put in their place right fast. The Three Amigos over there have proven ten times over that they are fastidiously loyal, and they are ridiculously strong. Honestly I’m waiting for the day Maria’s had enough and breaks her promise. A lot of us long for the day we open Chakal’s cell to miraculously find his corpse. On the other hand? There have been quite a few attempts on those three’s lives. They’re musclin’ in on Chakal’s gig. He’s not too happy about that. Especially since Joaquin’s at the forefront of it all.”

“Oh, that’s right. Aren’t they distant relatives or something? I remember the news coverage mentioning something like that.”

“Unfortunately. Joaquin’s the one who’s targeted the most, although lord does every perpetrator come to regret it.”

“Sounds like a full-on war could break out any second.”

“You hit the nail on the head, kid. The kettle’s boilin’. It’s just a matter of time before it’s starts screamin’. Welcome to San Ángel County Prison, rookie.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> this was literally based off of a tumblr zodiac post it literally came out of nowhere and wouldn't stop nagging at me.
> 
> I don't claim to know anything about how a prison works and it's probably all wrong. Sorry.


End file.
